SAF continues to be professional and ready: Defence Minister

SINGAPORE - In a written reply to a question about the fitness test failure rate among NSmen here, Minister for Defence Ng Eng Hen said that the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) has shown itself to be professional and operationally ready in the last 10 years.

Dr Ng said that the SAF has been commended for its professionalism and operational readiness during operations in Afghanistan, the Gulf of Aden, as well as in humanitarian aid and disaster relief missions, including those in response to the Boxing Day Tsunami, the earthquake in Christchurch, and Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.

The professionalism of the SAF "continues to be held in high regards by our foreign counterparts during bilateral and multilateral exercises", he wrote.

Dr Ng was replying to a question from Mr Pritam Singh in Parliament about the Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT) failure rate of NSmen. Dr Ng said that results of servicemen's fitness tests are not made public, "in keeping with common practice" among militaries.